


Rose-Colored Glasses

by novaKnight_Rahxbi



Category: Enchanted (2007), Kingdom Hearts
Genre: F/M, Flower Language, Gen, Slice of Life, flower shop, post-KH2, somewhere in the middle of DDD, this ship is very self contained within an au don’t @ me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-12-26 23:57:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18292769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/novaKnight_Rahxbi/pseuds/novaKnight_Rahxbi
Summary: As a way to start sprucing up their living space after their unexpected regeneration, Dilan is given the task of purchasing some lovely floral arrangements for their royal abode. Because that’s certainly what they need living in Radiant Garden: more flowers.One trip to the flower shop turns into a few, and something besides initial disdain begins to sprout.





	Rose-Colored Glasses

The hustle and bustle of the townspeople was in full stop, even during this fairly brisk early morning as Dilan made his way down the cobblestone sidewalks. A few shops surrounding him were beginning to open their doors for business. The enveloping scent of baking bread wafted through Dilan's nose as he passed by the local bakery. The scritch-scratching noise of broom bristles hitting stone as Scrooge McDuck diligently tidied up the area around his ice cream shop. 

Total and complete normalcy of daily routines in Radiant Garden commencing. The kind of normalcy that Dilan, in his impromptu 12 year absence, became nearly alien to the ex-Nobody. Nevertheless, small steps would have to be taken to fit back into the norm, which is partially why the tall and gruff royal guard found himself in front of a small building to obtain--

"Flowers. Just get any old flower, he says," Dilan grumbled as he looked back and forth between the shop's sign and the scrap of paper in his hand to make sure both names matched. “I don’t understand why Even couldn't come and buy them himself if he’s so demanding of them." Folding the piece of paper in a huff and shoving it into his pocket, he opened the door and walked inside.

Stepping into the shop, a subtly pungent scent of fresh flowers and various floral commodities breached Dilan's nose like a silent invader. While the outside of the shop appeared as any normal-sized building would, the interior was of a smooth oaky texture in terms of the walling, almost as if it were the inside of an actual tree. Floral arrangements were lined against the windows and walls on stands and small benches. Bins and bushels of flowers filled the center of the store, arranged as if they were assortments of candy in a confectionery shop. As overabundant as the colors were, they seemed to all be arranged in a near-perfect harmony, simultaneously complementing and contrasting one another in appearance. 

Amongst the menagerie of flora were only a few early bird customers, simply taking in the views and literally stopping to smell the roses. They seemed to be quite up there in age, but made no difference to Dilan as he perused the selection before him, attempting to make quick work of the task at hand and be done with it as soon as possible. As his dark violet eyes darted between actual violets and petunias, he felt someone walk and bump into him from behind. Accompanied by an audible “THUD” of a packed object hitting the floor, he doubled around to see a woman ducked down behind him in progress of picking up the remains of what apparently once was a box of assorted flowers.

“Oh no! I’m very sorry, sir,” exclaimed the woman in a very concerned and floaty tone. She straightened up from her knelt position, attempting to pat down the frays in her slightly frazzled strawberry-blonde ponytail into something more decent on the way up. Brushing some lingering dirt and dust specks off of the flowers placed back into the box, the rather slender woman looked up to meet Dilan’s eyes, her blue eyes showing almost no trace of panic, instead eagerly gleaming at the prospect of helping a new customer. Said unfortunate new customer being himself. “Did you need help finding something? I’d be more than happy to help you!”

Dilan’s own eyes darted up and down at the woman’s appearance, quickly sizing her up as an overly cheerful employee of the shop. One that he would like to deal with as quickly as possible so he could avoid flowery conversation that’d keep him deterred for much longer than he’d like. “I assume you’re an employee of this shop? Then yes, I suppose you can help me. I’m looking for some flowers.”

The woman’s smile grew even wider as she let out a giggle. “Then you’re certainly in the right place for that!”

Dilan frowned in annoyance. “I’m quite aware. That’s precisely why I came here in the first place.”

The woman’s flinched a bit at the bluntness, her smile faltering a bit before returning to right as it was. “Great! Let’s start with the color then. Is there anything in particular you would like? Maybe some reds or yellows?

“Something simple, I suppose.” Dilan looked around the room, his eyes falling upon a pile of blues in the corner of the room near a window. “What about those over there?

“Hydrangeas? Those would look absolutely lovely in your home, I’m sure of it,” the woman said, brimming with confidence. “They also say that it’s a good flower to bring you good luck.”

Dilan rolled his eyes. “I’m not interested in any false prosperity that it will give me. I simply want a decent looking flower to make the halls look nicer. I’ll take a few boxes of those and...some of the white ones over there as well.”

The woman followed Dilan’s gloved finger over to the plants he was pointing at. “Candytufts, too? They last very long in weather like this, but you’ll want to keep them outdoors as much as possible. They look their absolute best in rock gardens, if you happen to have any!”

“Then I suppose that’ll be my associates’s task to handle. I’ll take one box of those, then.” Dilan reached into his wallet, beginning to count out Munny bills. “How much do I owe you?”

A perplexed look formed on the woman’s face. “It should be about...1000 Munny.”

Dilan’s eyebrow raised in mild surprise. “Only 1000? Seems rather low for that many flowers.”

“Oops! I mean it should be around 2500...I think. Sorry, I’m still not very used to the currency system around here!” The woman laughed nervously, fixing a stray lock of her hair back behind her ear.

_Around here? _Dilan thought. So she must be from another world, then. As a former apprentice and somewhat of a seasoned world traveler himself, the possibility wasn’t nearly as surprising as it would be with most people. Not feeling the need to press her any further, he took the appropriate amount of cash out and walked over to the counter at the front to place it on top.__

____

As the woman finished packing up the last smaller box of candytufts and stacking them on top of the three larger crates of hydrangeas, Dilan crouched down to pick up the stack in one fell swoop and made his way out the door. 

__

“Thank you very much! I hope to see you again soon!” The woman waved him off, a pleased-as- punch smile upon her face. 

__

Dilan grunted in halfhearted acknowledgment at her thanks as he made his way out towards the increasingly bustling streets and back towards the castle.  


__

*****

__

Even looked at the newly placed floral arrangement on one of the hall’s pedestals, studying them with acidic green eyes as if they were some kind of newly discovered species. “These do seem rather plain. Weren’t there any other arrangements you could have chosen?”

__

“You kept insisting that I go in your stead, so that’s what you get,” Dilan said, folding his arms. “If you wanted a particular arrangement so badly, then you should have done it yourself.”

__

“Perhaps, but I have comparably far more important things to be doing than to spend time fussing over flowers for an entire morning,” Even said, peering at the bundle of hydrangeas that had been planted within an ornate vase none too earlier. “Besides, your keen culinary eye should at least have a rudimentary grasp of what’s aesthetically pleasing and what isn’t.”

__

“And that it does, so that will be all for the complaints, thank you,” Dilan retorted.

__

“No need to get testy with me. It was just a simple observation,” Even stated. “In any case, we’ll need many more flowers than this to make the castle look even halfway decent. I highly recommend that you go back to get more.”

__

An insulted expression formed on Dilan’s face. “You recommend it? I’ve already an extensive grocery list to catch up on, so what makes you think I’ll have time to pick up some paltry weeds?”

__

“Then make time to do it. We won’t need that many more, just enough to fill up the ground floor and a few of the outer gardens.”

__

“And you can’t send Aeleus out for this chore because…?”

__

“Because he’s best suited here to organize the arrangements instead. He’s been doing a good job setting up those candytufts in the rock garden outside, so it’d be more efficient to split up the work and have you take care of the purchases,” Even explained.

__

Dilan growled, then let out a defeated and irritated sigh. “Fine. But don’t expect anything more than a couple more trips to that shop. That’s it.”

__

“I only expect that you get what’s needed. I couldn’t care less about how many trips it takes.”

__

Sending an irate glare in Even’s direction, the former Whirlwind Lancer set off towards the castle’s kitchen, making a mental note to add “pointless floral decorations” to his grocery list.

__

*****

__

The following week, Dilan yet again found himself inside “Live Freesia,” Castle Town’s resident flower shop, on one particularly busy afternoon compared to when he had last visited. As he looked around, he noticed that quite a few customers were crowded around what appeared to be a setup of blue and gold flowers arranged around a small display fountain. Small streams of water burbled up from the stone, causing droplets to gather on the flowers’ petals and reflect the sunlight from the nearby window to make them appear even more illustrious. 

__

Dilan’s eyes squinted in contemplation of the the display. Quite an ornate arrangement for such a small shop. Clearly there was some careful attention to detail placed into this.

__

“Do you like it? I spent all morning putting it together, so I hope it was worth it,” a voice perked up from beside him. Distracted by the voice, Dilan turned his attention away from the display and found the woman from his previous visit to the shop expectantly and eagerly looking up at him.

__

Ah. This one again, Dilan thought to himself, regaining his composure and returning a more adamant look towards her. “So you’re the one responsible for this. I will admit, your use of color theory is somewhat impressive. The petal’s colors would have been quite dull by themselves had you not placed them by the window, and the fountain makes for a nice enough touch.”

__

As lackadaisical as the critique may have sounded from anyone else’s point of view, the woman was positively brimming with joy at his attempt at a few compliments. “Thank you so much! I mostly just picked those ones because they looked like they could use a little bit of sunlight and some more water, but I’m glad that they ended up look pretty too.”

__

Dilan barely managed to hold back a judgemental ‘hmph’. “How capricious of you. In any case, I’m in need of your assistance once again. I’d like to purchase more floral arrangements from you.”

__

The woman tilted her head in confusion. “Again? ...Oh wait, I remember you! You bought some hydrangeas from me a while ago! How are they doing?”

__

“How are they ‘doing’? They’re still alive, if that’s what you’re asking.”

__

“That’s wonderful! What about the candytufts? Where did you end up putting them?”

__

“My associate took care of it by planting them in our rock garden, like you suggested.” Dilan answered flatly.

__

“Even better! Now, be sure to water them when it gets dry outside. They like well-drained soil, but even they need some water once in a while. Oh, and try to prune them so that they can—”

__

“I appreciate your seemingly endless knowledge about this, but I’d prefer to get back to the matter at hand, if you don’t mind.” Dilan said, holding up a gloved hand to cease the woman’s ramblings.

__

“Oops! Sorry about that. I just like to make sure that people who buy my flowers are giving them the best care possible.”

__

“Yes, well perhaps you should think...I’m sorry, your flowers? Are you the owner of this shop?”

__

“I sure am! ‘Live Freesia’ has been my absolute pride and joy to run for almost a year now,” the woman beamed.

__

Dilan stared at the woman for a brief moment, his previously held contempt for her slowly starting to diminish. So she was the proprietor of this store. It wasn’t as if it was a completely unbelievable realization, but based off of demeanor alone he had simply passed her off as an overzealous, overly-peppy employee. At the very least, perhaps he could start recognizing her as an overzealous, overly-peppy, competent enough owner. Still didn’t irritate him any less.

__

“Is that so? Well for what it’s worth, you seem to be putting forth a rather earnest effort into managing this storefront on your own,” Dilan admitted.

__

“Oh, well I’m not always alone. Sometimes a few of my friends stop by and help me when they have the chance if it gets really busy. I like to think it’s pretty manageable most of the time, though.”

__

“If you say so.” A mild tone of skepticism was present in his voice when he said that, but Dilan felt that the need to hide it was minimal at best. “Now, those new arrangements, if you don’t mind.”

__

“Certainly! What did you have in mind?”

__

“Something with a bit more...character to it. I suppose. The last ones were sufficient in my own opinion, but since some people would rather have something with more unnecessary flair, I’d prefer something of that nature.” As if we didn’t already have enough blasted flowers in this world already, Dilan silently thought to himself.

__

The woman cupped her cheek in contemplation. “More character…something with a brighter color then?”

__

“I wouldn’t say that that translates to a brighter color, but—”

__

“I’ve got it!” The woman joyfully clapped her hands together in realization, then suddenly dashed off towards a small aisle of the shop. Not even a few minutes later, she came back carrying several trays of bright yellow flowers with lengthy green stems. “These daffodils will brighten up a room in no time. These trays I combined with a few tulips for an actual arrangement, but the rest you can plant outdoors if you’d like.” She gestured to the purple cup-shaped flowers interspersed between the yellow ones, creating a contrast between colors that was easier on the eyes than Dilan would have expected. 

__

“That...might work, actually,” Dilan admitted. “Seems as though you have a knack for putting the unlikely together and making it work.”

__

“I always do what I can. How many of these did you need?”

__

“Just those and a couple more will do. Now you must know how much these will run me this time, correct?”

__

The store owner winked at him in jest. “Well I can’t give them to you for free, if that’s what you’re asking.”

__

“Amusing, but that’s not at all what I was asking.” Dilan said dismissively, taking a decent number of Munny bills out of his wallet. “Will this cover it?”

__

The woman’s eyes widened in surprise. “I think that’s a little too much! I was only going to give them to you for 2000 Munny.”

__

“Which is why I’m giving you 3000 instead. You’re clearly undervaluing your own work for some reason, so consider this as a little bit of insight into what your prices should be,” Dilan declared, taking the trays out of the woman’s arms and handing her the bills in exchange.

__

“Oh, but I couldn’t possibly--”

__

“Miss, I insist that you take it for both our sakes.”

__

Initially hesitant, the woman put the payment in her front apron and smiled gratefully at Dilan. “Thank you very much, sir. That’s very kind of you.”

__

“Think nothing of it. I’m simply giving you due credit; nothing more, and nothing less.” As Dilan picked up the last of the tulip-daffodil combo trays, he turned in the direction of the shop’s exit and began to leave. As he walked out, he caught one last glance of the fountain display, staring at the water droplets on the dark blue flowers as they gleamed in the sunlight. Feeling himself becoming entranced with the sight, he quickly snapped himself out of it and departed.

__

*****

__

“Honestly Aeleus, you should have been there. The woman was far too perky for her own good.” Dilan finished repotting the last of his share of the tulip-daffodil bouquets, setting the pot onto an empty pedestal beside to him.

__

Aeleus patted down the soil in the last of his arrangement pots, making sure that the flowers’ stems were as upright as possible. “I’m sure she was just being polite. Any decent person, let alone a shop owner, would behave like that.”

__

“That may be, but she was grossly underpricing her wares as well. Coupled with that sickeningly sweet personality of hers, it’s total naiveté at its finest.” 

__

“Either that, or you’re just being a bit too much of a grouch as usual.” Aeleus took the pot and placed it onto the last remaining empty pedestal, dusting off his hands of any loose soil. “And since when do you care so much about how people price their own merchandise?”

__

“Could be from knowing you from so long. How many times have you lectured me about appropriate commission prices for your works?”

__

“That’s different. It’s one thing for the artist to tell a customer how much a painting or drawing should be worth, but it’s an entirely different thing when it’s the other way around.”

__

“It’s no different than giving someone some much needed advice on how to run a business, that’s all.”

__

“If you say so.” Noticing the remaining daffodil trays on the ground, Aeleus picked them up and shifted them over to one arm to carry his trowel in the other hand. “Come to think of it, we might be needing a few more pots for the hall in the west wing.”

__

“Is that so? You’d best get on with that, then.”

__

“It’s just one last trip, Dilan. Besides, a little more sunshine might do you some good for a change.”

__

Dilan furrowed his eyebrows. “And what, pray tell, is that supposed to mean?”

__

Aeleus walked past him, heading towards the gate leading to the outer gardens with a knowing smirk. “Whatever you want it to mean.”

__

The flustered scowl that formed on Dilan’s dirt-splotched face could have curdled even the freshest glass of milk within seconds.

__

*****

__

It was a week and a half later that Dilan yet again found himself outside of the shop he’d become all too familiar with. The sun was beginning to set in the distance, and the sounds of morning-hour aligned shops beginning to close up. From the looks of it, the flower shop was gearing up to do the same. Feeling a strong sense of relief that he wouldn’t have to spend a long time inside, Dilan entered the shop comparably more relaxed.

__

Unlike his other visits, however, the store was relatively empty save for a couple stragglers taking their time with their purchases. Almost as soon as he walked in, his gaze landed on the familiar sight of the shop’s owner, who was chatting with a much more elderly man as he finished making his purchase.

__

“It was good to see you again, Eustace. Thank you, and have a wonderful night!” She cheerily waved as the man picked up the small packet of what appeared to be seeds.

__

“You as well, young lady.” The elderly man gave her a kind smile as he slowly shuffled out the door and into the quiet streets outside, paying no mind to the taller, more daunting sight of the guardsman glancing at him from the side. Dilan then walked up to the counter, folding his arms expectantly at the woman.

__

The owner finished waving to the man, eventually turning her attention to the newest customer in front of her. “Hello again! You’re here awfully late this time, aren’t you?”

__

“Quite late, but I’ll be in here very briefly. After all, I’m sure you’ll want to be getting home soon.”

__

“Oh, me? I don’t mind too much. In fact, I could live here if I wanted to.”

__

Dilan rolled his eyes. Of course she would say something so asinine. Mildly endearing maybe, but far more asinine. “I’ll make my request short, then. I’m in need of some indoor plants to decorate a hallway. What would you recommend?”

__

“Let’s see...do you have a lot of guests coming in that walk through that hallway?”

__

“Not recently, no. I expect we might once we get back to some semblance of normalcy, but even I can’t say for sure,” Dilan solemnly admitted

__

A look of concern appeared on the shopkeeper’s face. “Did something happen to you and your home?”

__

Dilan frowned. “It’s... something I’d rather not discuss with someone I hardly know, thank you very much.”

__

“Oh my, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry,” the shopkeeper apologized.

__

Hearing the genuineness in her tone, Dilan’s hardened expression eased up. “It’s fine, just...don’t do it again, please.”

__

“Hmm...I might know just the thing.” Stepping away from the counter, the woman walked to a corner area of the shop, looking closely at an array of small white flowers. After a few moments of deliberation, she picked up four of the pots and brought them back to the counter with her. “How about these white jasmines? They’re very easy to maintain indoors and they smell positively lovely.”

__

Examining the bundle of white now placed in front of him, Dilan leaned forward to sniff the jasmines, catching a faint but pleasant sweet smell. “You’re right. These are quite nice.”

__

“I’m glad you think so. The best part is that these flowers are used to show friendship, so you’ll mean well to new people that come to visit you,” she explained with a gentle smile on her person.

__

Dilan hesitated a bit as he went to take out his payment upon hearing those words. _Right. As if anyone would even believe that gesture coming from the likes of us. _“Right, well that’s quite a cordial benefit. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” Putting his payment on the counter in front of the woman, he picked the up four pots in his bulky arms and turned for the exit. “Thank you yet again for your help, miss. Have a nice evening.”__

_____ _

“‘Giselle.’”

_____ _

The sound of her suddenly more resolute voice stopped him in his tracks. “Pardon me?”

_____ _

The woman folded her arms together behind her back. “That’s my name. ‘Giselle’. I make it a point to memorize as many of my customers’ names as possible, so that means you have to tell me yours now.”

_____ _

Dilan chuckled dryly. “Bold of you to assume I would actually do that.”

_____ _

“Is that so? Guess that means I’ll be calling you ‘Mr. Grumpy Pants’ from now on then,” Giselle teased.

_____ _

“I’ll thank you to do nothing of the sort because that is not my name.”

_____ _

“Captain Huffy?”

_____ _

“You’re pushing it.”

_____ _

“Theeeen…?” she questioned, leaning in close as if to hear the worlds’ most top secret.

_____ _

Dilan sighed, exasperation ever present within his tone. “...Dilan. My name is Dilan. And that is the only time I’ll be telling you, so you’d best get—commit it to memory.”

_____ _

Giselle smiled, clapping her hands together in approval. “Already done. Come again soon, Dilan!” 

_____ _

With an indignant huff and a roll of his eyes, Dilan turned and walked out of the shop, glossing over the sound of the door’s bell and instead glancing back to see Giselle still waving him goodbye. Noticing his eyes lingering on her longer than they should, he swiftly turned his head to face forward and continued on, the terra-cotta pots of white jasmines clunking together in his broad arms. With the sun setting in the distance, casting a cooling dusk overhead, Dilan glanced down at the flowers he was carrying, the fragrant waft of their scents and the stray petals of some variety of purple flower settled on top of the soil. Without truly acknowledging it, the faintest hint of a half-smile crept its way onto his face.

_____ _

He made a mental note to himself to add “floral arrangements” to his upcoming grocery list.

_____ _

**Author's Note:**

> This ship started as a bit of a joke and somehow became plausible in the process. Kingdom Hearts truly works in mysterious ways. Even so, I hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> The flower language was intended to be more obvious, but in the end I decided to make it more subtle. Here were the flowers mentioned and what they symbolized:
> 
> Hydrangea--Frigidity, disinterest, heartlessness  
> Candytuft--Indifference  
> Daffodil--regard, chivalry, respect  
> White jasmine--Amiability  
> Purple lilac--First emotion of love


End file.
